Runner stop for stockings



y 6, 1931. J. ,1. CARFREY 1,807,508

RUNNER STOP FOR STOCKINGS Filed Dec. 20 192 2 Sheets-Sheet l I%(9&, Jimea JM y 1 J. J. CARFREY 1,807,508

FOR STOCKINGS Filed Dec. 20 192 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES J. CARIREY, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO (ac-rm HOSIEBY COMPANY, INC., 01 PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 01' DELAWARE RUNNER. s'ror ron srocxmes Application filed December 20, 1928. Serial No. 327,871.

This invention relates to means for preventing runners from advancing beyond a predetermined line in a knitted stocking.

The invention is particularly adapted to 5 preventing runners from advancing from the welt of the stocking into the leg thereof, and from the leg into the welt of the stocking.-

When a stitch in the fabric breaks it releases the loo of the next successive stitch in the partic ar wale of the fabric in which the broken stitch is located.

A stocking when bein worn is under tension, thus, when a stitc breaks this tension will cause the stitches of that articular wale to become unlooped successively and this unloopin of the stitches will continue or advance a ong the length of that particular wale, thereby producing what is commonly termed a runner.

Runners will not advance when the fabric is not under tension, therefore, the object of this inventionis to create an area or to form a band in the stocking fabric extendcoursewise around the stocking which I at all times be free from tension, including such times as the stocking is being worn and is sub'ected to the usual tension applied thereto orthe plgppse of preventin the stocking from wr' ing. he unstressed band is formed by introducin a supplementary thread into the fabric w ich is looped back and forth across the predetermined area of the fabric which is to form the unstresed band, the said sulpplementary thread passin through t e stitches of the wales of the abric, interlocking with these said stitches and being itself interlocked with a second supplementary thread on the opposite face of the fabric.

The first mentioned supplementary thread by interlocking with t e stitches of the fabric prevents a runner advancing beyond the stitches with which the said supplementary thread is interlocked, and t e loops formed by this said supplementary thread passing back and forth across or bridging the unstressed arca assume the tension, di-

rect from the stitches of the fabric located at the opposite sides of the unstressed area or band, which would normally be assumed the manner assumed while the supplemenby the stitches lying within the said unstressed or neutral band. Therefore, should a runner advance to one side of the unstressed band it will be stopped by the lack of tension within the said band and also by the tension assuming supplementary threads which are interlocked with the stitches immediately adjacent the unstressed band in the stockin The saif second supplementary thread passes back and forth across the unstressed band on the opposite face of the fabric from that which is occupied b the first said supplementary thread and also assists in assuming the tension. This second supplementary thread also'binds the portion of the fabric which constitutes the unstressed band tightly against the backs of the loops of the first said supplementary threads, and thisbinding in the unstressed fabric causes the loops of this art of the fabric to be ressed tightly toget er and to frictiona y engage each other and thereby contribute to the general results, i. e. the preventing of a runner advancing across the stop line created by the nonstressed band.

Referrin to the drawings:

Fig. 1 1s a side view of a stocking equipped with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged dia ammatic section taken on the line 2-2, ig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating the welt portion of the stocking folded against the leg portion thereof in tary threads are being introduced into the fabric;

Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations looking at the opposite faces, respectively, of the fabric as it appears in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a-plan view of the fabric as it ap ears in Fig. 3;

ig. 7 is an enlarged diagrammatic view showing the stitch formation and the manher in which the said supplementary threads interlock with the fabric stitches and with each other;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic section taken on the line 88, Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to 8, but 100 showing the courses of stitches which constitute the unstressed band as being bound in closely by and between the sup lementary threads located on the opposite aces of the fabric.

Figure 1 shows a stocking of ordinary construction and comprising a leg portion 1, the top portion of which is folded and its extreme edge secured to the leg portion at the point 2, to form a turned welt 3, composed of an outer fold 4 and an inner fold 5.

As shown in Fig. 7, the fabric of which the stocking is composed is formed of a plurality of courses of stitches 10 comprising needles loops 11 and sinker loops 12.

The stitches 13 of the course at the edge of the inner fold 5 of the turned welt 3 are, in the present instance, interknit with one of the courses of stitches 10 of the leg portion 1 in the usual manner.

In order to form the nonstressed band 20, which forms the subject of this invention, the stocking after being knit is folded, preferably along the line where the welt 3 oins the leg 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The stocking fabric folded in this manner is then run through a suitable machine, for example, an ordinary seaming machine, by the mechanism of which the supplementary thread 25 is successively passed through the leg portion 1, and through the outer fold 4 and the inner fold 5 of the welt, at spaced intervals across the fabric, forming loops 26 and 27 respectively at the opposite sides of the folded fabric.

Through each adjacent pair of the loops 26, and then through an adjacent pair of the loops 27, in alternating succession, is passed the second supplementary thread 30 which, as shown in the drawings, especially in Fig. 6, interlocks with the first supplementary thread 25 and prevents the thread 25 from being pulled out of the fabric.

As shown in Fig. 7, the supplementary thread 25 passes through the needle loops 11 of the stitches 10 on one side of the unstressed band 20 and through the sinker loops 12 of the stitches 10 at the opposite side of the unstressed band 20. However, this is not essential and the supplementary thread 25 may pass through either the needle loops 11 or the sinker loops 12 at either or both sides of the unstressed area. This con dition depends entirely upon the manner in which the folded fabric is presented to the thread inserting elements of the seaming machine and also depends upon the number of wales per inch across the fabric,- the rate of ed per minute at which the fabric is passe through the seaming machine, and the number of times per minute that the machine operates to pass the thread 25 through the folded fabric.

After the supplementary threads 25 and 30 have been inserted the fabric is straightened out in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The substantially straight portions 25m and 30a of the threads 25 and 30 respectively then bridge the unstressed area or band 20 and thereby assume all strain and tension which would normally be taken by the stitches lying within the area 20.

As shown in Fig. 9, these stitches are bound in tightly between the straight por-' tions 25a and 30a of the threads 25 and 30 respectively, and are caused'to frictionally engage each other thereby assisting in the final result, that of preventing a runner from advancing through the unstressed area of the fabric.

This invention is adaptable to stockings produced by either fiat or circular knitting machines in which the edge of the welt is interknit with the stitches of the leg, and also to stockings knit on a circular knitting machine wherein there is no turned welt formed on the stocking.

A turned welt may be produced by folding the stocking in the manner indicated in Fig. 3 and passlng the supplementary thread 25 through the three layers of fabric, as also noted, in which case the supplementary threads 25 and 30 will not only act to prevent the advancement of runners, as above noted, but will also function as a means for securing the top edge of the stocking to the leg portion thereof to produce a turned welt on the stocking.

The unstressed band 20, in the present instance and as clearly shown in the drawings, is in the form of a tuck, wherein the one supplemental thread 25 functions to join the folds of such tuck at its base, and appears on one face of the fabric, and the second supplemental thread 30 interlocks with the first supplemental thread 25 and passes across the fabric included within the tuck on the opposite face of the fabric, thereby binding the stitches, of which the fabric within the tuck is formed, tightly together between the threads 25 and 30 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 9.

I claim:

1. The combination with a knitted stocking of a tuck formed in and extending coursewise of the stocking fabric after the knitting thereof for preventing runners which are advancing in a walewise direction from either side of and toward a predetermined line produced by the format-ion of said tuck from crossing said predetermined line to the opposite side thereof, said tuck forming a band of unstressed fabric at said redetermined line and means bridging'sald unstressed band and adapted to assume any tension applied to the stocking, whereby said band is at all times relieved of said tension, said bridging means com rising a supplementary thread looped back and. forth across said band and interlocking with the stitches of the stocking fabric at the opposite sides of said band.

2. The combination with a knitted stocking of a tuck formed in and extending coursewise of the stocking fabric after the knitting thereof for preventing runners which are advancing in a walewise direction from either side of and toward a predetermined line produced by the formation of said tuck from crossing said predetermined line to the opposite side thereof, said tuck forming a band of unstressed fabric at said predetermined line and means bridging said unstressed band and adapted to assume any tension applied to the stocking, whereby said band is at all times relieved of said tension, said bridging means comprising a supplementary thread looped back and forth across said band on one face of the stocking fabric and interlocked with the stitches of the stocking fabric at the opposite sides of said band, and a second supplementary thread looped back and forth across the said band on the opposite faceof said fabric and interlocked with the first said supplementary thread at the opposite sides of said band.

3. The combination with a knitted stocking of a tuck formed 1 inand extending coursewise of the stocking fabric after the knitting thereof for preventing runners which are advancing in a walewise direction from either side of and toward a predetermined line produced by the formation of said tuck from crossing said predetermined line to the opposite side thereof, said tuck forming a band of unstressed fabric at said predetermined line and means bridging said unstressed band and adapted to assume any tension applied to the stocking, whereby said band is at all times relieved of said tension, said bridging means compriseach side of the folded fabric, passing a second supplementary thread through the loops formed in the first supplementary thread at each side of the folded fabric, said second thread passing back and forth over the edge formed by the folding of the fabric between and interlocking with the said loops of the first said supplementary thread subsequently unfolding the fabric, whereupon the said supplementary threads will assume any tension applied to the fabric in a walewise direction, permitting that portion of the fabric lying between the points Where the said first supplementary thread passes through the fabric to remain in an unstressed condition, said first and second said supplementary threads co-operatively binding the stitches forming the unstressed portion of the fabric in frictional engagement with each other.

5. A knitted stocking composed of stitches formed of a primary thread, an unstressed band extending coursewise thereof and functioning as a runner stop, said band consisting of a tuck formed in the stocking fabric, a supplementary thread passing through the stocking fabric at the base of the tuck, and a second supplementary thread interlocked with the first supplementary thread and binding the tuck tlghtly therebetween.

JAMES J. CARFREY.

ing a supplementary thread looped back and forth across said band on one face of the stocking fabric and interlocked. with the stitches of the stocking fabric at the opposite sides of said band, and a second supplementary thread looped back and forth across the said band on the opposite face of said fabric and interlocked with the first said supplementary thread at the op osite sides of said band, the stitches of the abric of which the tuck is composed being bound in frictional contact with each other-by and between the first and second mentioned supplementary threads.

4. A process for producing a runner stop-line in a knittedfabric, which comprises the folding of the fabric on a line extending coursewise of the fabric, passing a supplementar thread through the stitches of which the olds of the fabric are comosed at a point removed from the edge ormed by the folding of the fabric, forming loops in the supplementary thread at 

